Dre Kirkpatrick

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Updated: 11:55 p.m. For the third time in the last seven drafts the Bengals were able to snag a highly-rated cornerback in the second half of the first round when they took Alabama junior DreKirkpatrick with the 17th pick they secured from the Raiders in the Carson Palmer trade to give them six ...

Opening Comments ... Marvin Lewis: “We’re pleased, obviously, to be here today, with Dre’s signing. It’s a very exciting day for us, for him. We’re really pleased to be able to have Dre be back here, continue his career here and hopefully at one point finish his career here in ...

MARVIN LEWIS Initial comments: “We feel really good about this first round. We came in here hoping to cover a couple of needs for the future in the first round. I think we’ve been able to do that in picking the cornerback and the interior offensive lineman. “ DreKirkpatrick is a guy that really played at a very high level. He’s a guy with good length — great length — has played a lot of bump-and-run and a lot of different, intricate schemes that they did at Alabama . He’s been a physical player and is a guy that’s played on special teams. He’s put in all three things — the passing game, the running game, and he’s contributed there on special teams. He has an opportunity to learn from some great veteran players to get him up and running as quick as we can. “ Kevin Zeitler comes out of that Wisconsin offensive line group, which as we know, has been outstanding year after year after year. The guy has versatility. We can use him to play guard and as a backup at center. He really has done a great job in the gap-blocking, zone-blocking and pulling — he’s done a lot of good things on film. He’s one of those guys that, when you put the tape on, he really stands out. “We were able to slide back (trading the No. 21 pick to New England for Nos. 27 and 93). We obtained another pick and still were able choose between the same guys. We really feel where we were was good.” Beside New England, were there any other inquiries about trades? ML: “Yeah. People were interested in moving back and forth throughout the round today. You obviously saw a lot of movement up front. Even in the later picks, there are a lot of people that are interested in moving around. Maybe this one-night format is a good thing. Everybody’s fired up to do some things in the night.” How much has the rookie salary cap enabled teams to do that? ML: “We’ve always had the rookie pool, so I don’t think that’s really mattered. That gets determined by who you pick and choose. I don’t know that that affects it much.” It seems like moving down to 27 was what you wanted, because you were able to still get who you wanted: ML: “We were able to add another pick, which gives us a chance to add another player that competes to become a backup player on this football team. That’s a good thing.” With all of the veteran corners already on this roster, can you still work Kirkpatrick in? ML: “In both players, they have opportunities. If they’re good enough to start, they will. If they’re in their (learning) process as they go, they’ll have an opportunity to work their way into the lineup. But we drafted them to play, and I expect them both to be able to.” Right away? ML: “As soon as they’re ready.” With the second pick, did you consider taking a skill guy? A receiver or running back? ML: “We picked Kevin Zeitler.” DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH MARK CARRIER This is your first act as a coach on this staff, and your position group gets a first-round pick. You have to be pretty happy about that, right? MC: “Definitely. Knowing that, looking at this draft, we highlighted only a couple of corners that we would have said ‘Hey (draft him),’ if we had a chance to get them. Dre was high on our list. It was getting to be nut-cracking time when it was coming to the pick. We didn’t know if he was going to be there for us. But he ended up being there for us, and we’re excited to have him.” What do you like about Kirkpatrick ? MC: “One, where he comes from. He comes from a winning program. He played on the best team, on the best defense in college football . He has two national championships under his belt. He’s from a well-respected program. There were four first-rounders from this team ( Alabama ) — that tells you what type of team. If there’s anybody ready to make that next step, this kid obviously fits that mold.” How much about Alabama ’s scheme is similar to what you’re going to do here in Cincinnati? MC: “One thing we know is that they pressed (played press coverage) a lot. With Coach Zim (defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer) and his scheme and what we want to do, we have a good rush group, and our objective is to give the guys up front a lot more time to get after the quarterback. You’ve got to put your corners on islands and do some things. They do a lot of that at Alabama . They’ve got guys that can get after the quarterback. But being able to get in their face and disrupt routes and timing and rhythm — that’s what Alabama does, and those are a lot of the things we like to do, too.” Do you consider yourself fortunate to be able to work with so many first-round picks? MC: “It all remains to be seen. It comes with pressure. It’s all about showing up and playing. In the short time I’ve been around them, these guys are all good professionals. They’re all very into this team and what’s best for the team, taking it to the next level and being competitive about it. Dre is just going to add to that.” OFFENSIVE LINE COACH PAUL ALEXANDER What was it about Kevin Zeitler that convinced you to draft a guard in the first round for the first time in club history? PA: “You’ll like him. He’s a tough football player. He’s a great program guy, team guy. He’s the type of guy if you went fishing at the lake all day, some guys after a half an hour, you want to throw them in the water. But this guy is more along the line that you can just sit out there all day with him. He’s going to work like that in terms of football . When we went to work him out in Wisconsin, we called him and he came down and met us at the car, unlocked the doors, got all the equipment; he’s a wonderful guy. He’s as good a guy as there is and he’s a good player. I think when you get a chance to take a guy like that, he helps your whole team, not just his spot. So we’re excited. You’ll like him.” You like him even before the scouting combine: PA: “Yeah I’ve like him since the first time I saw him and so did our scouts. Our scouts really, really liked this kid.” When was the first time you saw him? PA: “I saw him on film before we went to the Senior Bowl.” Did you know about him before this past season? PA: “No I usually don’t get a chance to see the guys before their senior year, typically. The only player he can’t block apparently is Jay Hayes’ son, who’s a freshman at St. X. So we may have to draft him in a few years, I guess. I don’t know.” What does he do well? PA: “I think his greatest strength is he’s productive. He’s a very high grader, a very efficient player. You don’t realize he’s in there because you don’t see a lot of error. So I think that’s his greatest strength. He has enough size. He has versatility where he could play center. If he wanted to be a center he’d be a top-level center, really. We’re not going to use him there; we’re going to use him as a backup center because who is our backup center right now? I don’t know. So he’ll work at center. He’ll work at guard, primarily right guard. He’ll be good.” He was graded over 90 percent in 13 straight games at Wisconsin: PA: “Did you see that at Pro Football Focus? I don’t know that. I would tend to agree with that. He’s a very, very efficient player.” Who does he remind you of from past Bengals offensive lineman? PA: “I don’t think we’ve had a guy quite like this, really. He’s unique in a lot of ways. He has the toughness that (Matt) O’Dwyer had. He has the consistency that (Mike) Goff had. He’s got the brains of … I think he might’ve scored the highest on the Wonderlic at the combine. I don’t know if he did or not. I’ll get the memo on that, so I won’t comment on that one. He’s a very smart guy.” Is he a smart guy like Rich Braham? PA: “The smartest guy I had was Goff. They’re very similar that way. He plays with the some tenacity that Nate (Livings) did. He can pull, but he can’t pull as well as (Eric) Steinbach can. But he’s a good puller. He has a lot of good traits of a lot of different guys we’ve had, really. He’s kind of his own guy; I can’t think of a guy that’s really like him.” DREKIRKPATRICK What are your thoughts on being picked by the Bengals? DK: “Oh man, I just feel great. It was a great pick and I’m happy that they chose me.” How did your visit go here, and how was your meeting with Coach Zimmer and Mark Carrier? DK: “It was great. They remind of the coaches at Alabama . Coach Zimmer reminds me of Coach Saban.” How do you think you performed last season? DK: “I think I did great. I didn’t get challenged as much as I’d like.” What’s your biggest strength? DK: “I can get the pass.” What do you think you need to work on? DK: “Sometimes I get a little excited and I lose focus. Coach Saban and I have worked on that.” Did (the Bengals coaches) tell you about the cornerback situation when you visited? DK: “No sir, they didn’t.” How do you feel about being able to come in and learn from a host of first-round corners and safeties? DK : “That’s an advantage that I have. Some guys come in and have to play with young guys. One of my main focuses is to go in and learn. Learn the system and learn from the veterans. I’ll learn a lot from those guys.” How close was Alabama ’s scheme to the scheme you’ll play here? DK: “They do a lot of press and zone, and those are things we do at Alabama also.” Your nickname is ‘Swagga’ — was that adopted or did someone give it to you? DK: “The fans gave it to me. I mentioned it in a previous interview and they ran with it. It was something that the fans and I had going on.” KEVIN ZEITLER What are your thoughts about being drafted by the Bengals? KZ: “I’m ecstatic. I’m very excited to get out there tomorrow and get to work and help the team in any way I can.” Did you know you were high on their wish list? KZ: “My agent talked to the O-line coach (Paul Alexander) after he worked me out, and told me that he liked me. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but it turned out to be pretty good, and I’m very excited.” What do you know about the Bengals? KZ: “I know they got to the playoffs last year with Andy Dalton at quarterback and A.J. Green at receiver, and (that) they were effective last year. That’s really all I know. I have a lot to learn.” Do you do much fishing? KZ: “I do some fishing. Not much lately. I never had much of a chance to fish while I was in college.” What were your grades like in high school and college? KZ: “My parents always pushed me to do well in school. In high school, I graduated in the top 20 with a 3.9 GPA. And in college, I had just over a 3.0.” Offensive line coach Paul Alexander said you could play backup center. How much center have you played? KZ: “I’ve played some. I was trained as a center when I first arrived at Wisconsin, but when I took over the right guard spot, I stayed there. I was reintroduced to it at the Senior Bowl. I’ve worked at center since then. I snapped with Brandon Weeden at API (Athletic Performance Inc.), and I was snapping with some of the quarterbacks at Wisconsin when I got back here.” You guys have a reputation as a grinding team that runs well. Did you live up to that last year? KZ: “I think so. We’ve had some of the top rushing statistics in the country. It shows that we’re doing the right things, and NFL teams seem to like it.” Do you pride yourself in the running game? KZ: “Yes. Run blocking is always fun. It’s a ‘must win’ mentality, and we have to get ball movement no matter what.” Is that part of the culture up there? KZ: “Yes. Wisconsin has always been known for running the ball — ever since (former Wisconsin head coach and current AD) Barry Alvarez took over — and we have such tradition on O-line. We want to keep it going and never look back.”

Cornerback Adam Jones would like to get his hands on the ball more often this season. When the Bengals show up for their first offseason workout session on Monday morning, they’ll be greeted by T-shirts in their lockers emblazoned with the words, “Challenge The Moment.” For a team that has struggled in the postseason and prime time, head coach Marvin Lewis couldn’t have come up with a better logo. But in order for them to respond, he needs his veterans to believe it and he’s got a good start with Adam Jones. For the first time in his career, he has played all 16 games in back-to-back seasons. Once the poster child on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s post-office wall of player conduct, Jones is in the middle of a three-year deal in a locker room that respects his work ethic and football savvy and on top of a depth chart relied on him during last year’s injury assault on the cornerbacks. But Jones isn’t kicking back and enjoying the fruits of one of the league’s more remarkable comeback stories. There are still some things to prove. For one thing, he’s starting to bump-and-run with the calendar. He turned 30 last September and he keeps thinking about those full seasons he sat out in 2007 and 2009. “I’m really 27, 28. Remember, I missed those two years” Jones said last week, “and I’m keeping up my body up doing the same thing. I was a big lifter when I came into the league, then I slacked off and that’s when you get the pulls (muscles) and all that. I’m back lifting a lot. I’m doing hot yoga. The last three weeks I’ve been working out four days a week. Twice a week I do 500 sit-ups. You’ve got to have a strong core. You may see some guys that have a six-pack, an eight-pack, but they don’t have a strong core.” Lewis is banking on the rest of his veterans having the same kind of hunger despite ending last season on a huge downer. Their third straight loss in the playoffs is as ugly as it gets, a messy 27-10 deal at home to a Chargers team they had beat on the road just 35 days before. How many more times can this core go to the well? Lewis will find out with guys like Jones, Leon Hall , and Terence Newman leading the way at corner. Hall, coming off his second torn Achilles in three years, joins the 30-year-old club in December. Newman, coming off a sprained knee that took him out of the last four games, turns 36 less than a month before Jones turns 31 early in the regular season. “I’m looking to start. You know I’ve never considered myself just a nickel corner,” Jones said. “We’ve got three starters on this team. I’m getting in good enough shape so I can start and then get back there four or five times a game (to return punts).” Only Devin Hester has more touchdowns off punt returns on the active list than Jones by the healthy margin of 13-5. But Jones figures he could cut into the lead with a few more shots. Once Hall got hurt in the sixth game last year and Jones moved into start like he did when Hall got hurt in 2011, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons virtually took Jones off returns and he only had 11. So even though it’s a new year, Simmons and Jones continue to needle each other about getting more chances. “Numbers don’t lie,” Jones said. “When I get back there I make things happen.” “Well,” Simmons will probably say, “don’t start.” But Jones, of course, would never say that. He’s coming off the two best seasons of his career and last year he was the Bengals’ highest-rated corner, according to profootballfocus.com. Out of 110 NFL cornerbacks he was rated 29 th , just four notches below former teammate and Texans Pro Bowler Johnathan Joseph. “The past couple of years have obviously been his best work,” Hall said. “It just comes naturally being in the same system, being with the guys. Just playing more football . The thing he can do now is if a young guy came in here, he can explain the whole defense top him. Maybe the first couple of years he could tell him what he could do, but now he can tell you where (safety) Reggie (Nelson) is going to be, what the linebackers are doing, where the blitz is coming from.” Jones hears the scuttlebutt. He’s hearing the buzz about the age of the Bengals corners and how the Bengals want to take one in the first round at No. 24 two years after taking Alabama ’s DreKirkpatrick at No. 17. “I think we need a corner, but I don’t think it’s the most important priority,” Jones said. “I think Leon will be ready. Same with T. New. Dre. We’ve got a good group of guys. One addition would be cool just for depth, but I don’t think we need to take a corner with a high pick. We’ve got a lot more things we need in here. “But I’m comfortable with anything,” Jones said. “We’re just looking to win.” Lewis only has to look at his corners to get an edge. Old? Need a shot of youth? Hall is already doing football drills and even though he won’t get on the field in May and June, all signs are pointing to him being ready for the July 23 start of training camp. Newman would have been back if the Bengals beat the Chargers and went to the AFC Divisional game in New England. “We’ve had guys that were 28 or 31 that didn’t move as well as Terence does. It’s all relative,” Hall said. “There’s not too many guys on this team you can tell me that move better than (Jones). He’s quicker and faster than most anybody we have at however old he is. He’s just quick and fast a guy like Gio (Bernard) coming in here his rookie year. Age is nothing but a number as they say.” Jones already has a legion of admirers in locker rooms around the league. One of them, former Bears and Texans safety Danieal Manning , who came into the league a year after Jones in 2006, spent some quality time with him for the first time last week. “I remember him at West Virginia and running back all those kicks and interceptions. I was saying, ‘Who is that guy?’” recalled Manning, who signed a one-year deal with the Bengals a few weeks ago. “He looks to me with all his knowledge that he can play forever. He seems to me like a guy that never disrespects the game. He respects the game.” For all the water under the bridge, is it still too soon to attach the term “locker room elder statesman,’ to Adam Jones? “Whether he likes it or not,” Hall said with a laugh. “He’s one of the cornerstones of this locker room. People might not see that outside the locker room. But people in the equipment room, the training room, and upstairs can see it.” Age is also experience and that can make you younger. Since he herniated a neck disc during his first Bengals season 2010, Jones has been focused on taking care of his body and learning the tricks of the trade. “A neck injury. That’s serious now,” Jones said. “When I came in (to the league), I could do things on the field, but I didn’t study. Now, as DBs, we spend watching film of the opponent.” He even spent some time a couple of days a week at the very public Mercy Hospital Health Complex near his home in Anderson Township. While he worked out with fitness coordinator Michael Newbill, he didn’t mid signing autographs or chatting up the children that came through and recognized No. 24. “I like running around with those kids,’ Jones said. “They help keep you young.” That could be another motto for a season the Bengals need some more legs.

DreKirkpatrick Adam Jones broke down and wept when he saw what happened to Leon Hall early in Sunday's game in Detroit. Then he saw fellow cornerback Terence Newman crying and it got even worse. "I lost my (stuff)," Jones admitted Monday. "I know me and T-New were looking at each other and we were ...